The present invention relates to an exterior rearview mirror for mounting on a vehicle and, more particularly, to a tow mirror assembly for mounting on a vehicle that can be adjusted to extend the viewing area of the mirror assembly, which is particularly useful when the vehicle is towing a trailer, camper, another vehicle, or the like.
Conventional towing mirrors include a reflective element housed in a frame that is mounted to the body of a vehicle by a support and mounting bracket. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,591 to A. J. Malecki discloses a rigid support for mounting a mirror assembly to a vehicle in a fixed extended position. Naturally, this type of fixed extended rearview mirror assembly increases the width of the vehicle. With an increased width, a vehicle equipped with such mirror assembly has increased difficulty in maneuvering the vehicle especially in garages or parking garages or the like. In some vehicles, the width is increased beyond the maximum width allowed by conventional vehicle transport trucks, which deliver the vehicles to the dealership. Therefore, these mirror assemblies are typically installed at the dealership, which ultimately increases the cost of the vehicle.
In addition, for the driver who only occasionally tows a trailer, the use of these fixed, extended rearview mirror assemblies is also inconvenient. In addition to hampering the maneuverability of the vehicle, these fixed mirror assemblies are more vulnerable to being damaged or causing damage than conventional exterior rearview mirrors, especially when used by an inexperienced driver. This inconvenience is compounded by the fact that, not only do these extended rearview mirrors generally detract from the appearance of the vehicle, they increase the cost of the vehicle.
In response to the needs of the drivers who only occasionally tow objects, tow mirror assemblies have been developed which include support arms or minor casings that move in and out in a linear fashion, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,903,402; 5,969,890; 6,116,743; and 6,239,928 and copending application entitled EXTENDIBLE EXTERIOR REARVIEW MIRROR ASSEMBLY, Ser. No. 09/267,532 (Attorney Docket No. DON01 P-739) now U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,518, the entire disclosures of all of which are herein incorporated by reference. While these minor assemblies have solved many of the problems with fixed tow minor assemblies, there is always a demand for further simplification.
Consequently, there is a need for an extendable exterior rearview mirror, which can be installed at the factory that provides the extended field of view required when towing and yet can be moved to a normal operating position where it does not hamper the maneuverability of the vehicle. Moreover, the extendable rearview mirror should have minimal impact on the vibration of the mirror assembly and be relatively easy to adjust between non-towing and towing positions without the need for tools.